A Peek Through The Leaves

In The Sticks said:
Funny you should say that.

Every few years I'll got one or two field mice in the house. When I trap them, I always toss them outside so they may fulfill their final act in the natural cycle. I have no idea what ate them.

I'll toss this pic out there before Drifter boots me out for poaching his thread. I set out ground feeders with game cameras to see if I could get pics of birds (maybe ground feeding grosbeaks) that might be too shy to be around when I was at home. Instead I got this:

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and this:
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Love it! Is that an Adirondack Fox?
 

A Robin in my holly tree just outside of his nesting box... trying to catch him is hard because he flits and darts so fast, but I took this yesterday...

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Aunt Marg said:
Love it! Is that an Adirondack Fox?
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I am not a wildlife expert by any means.

The Virginia Dept of Game and Inland Fisheries says it's an Eastern American Red Fox (vulpes vulpes fulvus) The subspecies listed in Wiki for this part of the country does not look like this one, but I'm sure there are color variations. I've also seen Eastern Grey Fox here.

When I first moved in, they would be right at the house early in the morning (4AM-5AM) yapping their heads off for each other. I won't tell you what I thought those noises were at first, until I saw them right next to me while sitting on my deck that time of day. Again, the place had been vacant for years. They're still nearby, just not that much in the open.

To equate it to the shyness of my hawks, I have friends in suburbia who have a den of foxes living under their porch. Out where I am, the critters are not that habituated. I bet there are 2,000 acres around my house and I'm the only dwelling back here (except for 2 you pass just up the right-of-way to get down here.) Everything else is vacant parcels, or the land belonging to farms whose dwellings are at the main road. So they live a relatively human-free existence.
 
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drifter said:
No Sweat. Enjoyed your photos and comments.
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Thanks again for your tolerance, Drifter.

There's something special about birds (although I meandered as I always do.) Nothing in nature is so free. The rest of us are stuck in 2 dimensions. And we can bring all but the most elusive right up to us for the price of a bag of seed.

This is what life is for.
 
In The Sticks said:
I am not a wildlife expert by any means.

The Virginia Dept of Game and Inland Fisheries says it's an Eastern American Red Fox (vulpes vulpes fulvus) The subspecies listed in Wiki for this part of the country does not look like this one, but I'm sure there are color variations.

When I first moved in, they would be right at the house early in the morning (4AM-5AM) yapping their heads off for each other. I won't tell you what I thought those noises were at first, until I saw them right next to me while sitting on my deck that time of day. Again, the place had been vacant for years. They're still nearby, just not that much in the open.

To equate it to the shyness of my hawks, I have friends in suburbia who have a den of foxes living under their porch. Out where I am, the critters are not that habituated. I bet there are 2,000 acres around my house and I'm the only dwelling back here (except for 2 you pass just up the right-of-way to get down here.) Everything else is vacant parcels, or the land belonging to farms whose dwellings are at the main road. So they live a relatively human-free existence.
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I disagree with the Virginia Dept of Game & Inland Fisheries, having dear husband examine the photo with me, the fox in question is a Gray, not an Eastern American Red.

I can't say I've heard a fox's call or cry, but we regularly hear packs of coyotes yipping in the night, and that sound has a sort of creepy, bone-chilling effect on me.

So happy, Drifter, started this thread, and equally happy you dropped by for a visit, ITS.
 
Aunt Marg said:
I disagree with the Virginia Dept of Game & Inland Fisheries, having dear husband examine the photo with me, the fox in question is a Gray, not an Eastern American Red.

I can't say I've heard a fox's call or cry, but we regularly hear packs of coyotes yipping in the night, and that sound has a sort of creepy, bone-chilling effect on me.

So happy, Drifter, started this thread, and equally happy you dropped by for a visit, ITS.
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You are right. My error, not the DGIF.

I amended my prior comment to include the Eastern Grey Fox as also being listed on the DGIF website...I just went back and looked when the Wiki description made no sense.

As I stated, I am not a wildlife expert. But I've seen greys here that are less red than that little guy.
 
In The Sticks said:
You are right. My error, not the DGIF.

I amended my prior comment to include the Eastern Grey Fox as also being listed on the DGIF website...I just went back and looked when the Wiki description made no sense.

As I stated, I am not a wildlife expert. But I've seen greys here that are less red than that little guy.
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No worries, between yourself and Drifter, this is one totally awesome thread! Absolutely loving all the pictures!
 
Aunt Marg said:
No worries, between yourself and Drifter, this is one totally awesome thread! Absolutely loving all the pictures!
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I love the feedback.

I learn so much from everyone being willing to share their knowledge. Now I know the species of fox I've got roaming around, as well as the species of those birds.

And after these conversations, I'm about ready to break out the bird feeders again, bear be damned. It never bothered the feeders or anything else for years, then suddenly started to get into my trash (right around the same time I began buying seafood.) I might just clean those feeders up (as well as my heated bird bath) and go get some seed.
 
In The Sticks said:
I love the feedback.

I learn so much from everyone being willing to share their knowledge. Now I know the species of fox I've got roaming around, as well as the species of those birds.

And after these conversations, I'm about ready to break out the bird feeders again, bear be damned. It never bothered the feeders or anything else for years, then suddenly started to get into my trash (right around the same time I began buying seafood.) I might just clean those feeders up (as well as my heated bird bath) and go get some seed.
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Like yourself, I, too, live for conversations such as these, because there's so much to learn and talk about.

We need a new hummingbird feeder, so that's on my list the next I'm out shopping. :)
 
Sliverfox said:
Stumbled across this thread,, another bird watcher here, in NW PA.

We bought a tube bird feeder made out of PVC pipe because a bear broke up one of ours.
Hubby hung a pulley high up in spruce tree where bear can't reach.
When I fill it have to let it down.

Worked so good that our metal bird feeder is on another branch,, hanging from a pulley.
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Brilliant idea! Love it!

You've given me an idea for our hummingbird feeders!
 
Sliverfox said:
Stumbled across this thread,, another bird watcher here, in NW PA.

We bought a tube bird feeder made out of PVC pipe because a bear broke up one of ours.
Hubby hung a pulley high up in spruce tree where bear can't reach.
When I fill it have to let it down.

Worked so good that our metal bird feeder is on another branch,, hanging from a pulley.
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I was here for years and the bear never bothered even the try feeders that were only 5 feet above the ground, filled with nuts and dried fruit. It was only when I started cooking seafood that I think the smell of fish in the garbage brought them.

I've hung unshelled (whole) peanut holders way up high on a pulley for the pileated woodpeckers, but that's only because they're too shy to otherwise feed.
 
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